DANBURY -- If the first two games are any indication, the Danbury girls basketball team is on its way to another special season.

The reigning FCIAC champions notched their second victory of 20 or more points to start the season, a 54-34 throttling of visiting Greenwich.

Danbury, led by junior twins Rachel and Rebecca Gartner, jumped out to a 22-2 first-quarter lead and never looked back. The Cardinals (1-1) did not score their first field goal until the three-minute mark in the second quarter.

The Gartner twins accounted for 14 steals by themselves -- Rachel with eight and Rebecca with six -- and the team finished with 19 total.

Throughout the first half, Danbury perfectly executed the gameplan of coach Jackie DiNardo.

Latest Sports Video

"We know that the points will come," said DiNardo. "We wanted to focus on strong defense and we did that for the first two quarters."

The stellar play started to slip in the second half. A turnover here, a defensive lapse there allowed Greenwich to outscore the Hatters 22-18 in the second half.

"We need to work on staying disciplined," added DiNardo. "We got a little sloppy in the second half with some forced shots. That can't happen."

However, the efficient scoring of Rachel and Rebecca Gartner, who finished with 18 points and 15 points respectively, allowed the Hatters to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the game.

"We just faced the best of the best," said Cardinals coach Chrys Hernandez. "We were able to hang with the best team in the FCIAC for three quarters. Despite the loss, that's something to be proud of."

Danbury looks to improve to 3-0 next week when its hosts Norwalk on Tuesday.